Baby feeding unit arrangements of the general type described herein are known. Typically, such units comprise a nursing holder wherein the protective cap is retained only by friction in one or both of its positions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,040, assigned to the assignee of the instant application, shows such a hood 17 which the open end is force fitted over a raised lip of the bottle to maintain the cap in its protective position, but is frictionally retained in its storage position at the opposite end of the bottle. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,762,542 and 3,822,806, show other nursing units, of the type like U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,040 which include a collapsible sac for holding the feeding liquid, in which the hood is frictionally retained over the nipple in its protective position. When it is desired to store the hood, it is positioned within the open end of the rigid holder, with the outer frontal portion of the hood being similarly frictionally retained by the lower internal side walls of the holder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,680 shows a somewhat modified arrangement wherein the protective hood is frictionally retained either at the top of the bottle, when it is desired to protect the nipple, or over the bottom end of the bottle during its storage condition. U.S. Pat. No. 3,627,161 similarly shows the inclusion of a protective cap in conjunction with a nursing bottle, in which the protective cap, which also includes a music box, is only frictionally engaged with the bottle at either its nipple protective or opposed storage position. U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,057 maintains the hood in its protective position by providing the hood with internal threads for cooperative engagement with complementary bottle threads. However, that hood is stored at the bottom of the bottle by frictionally retaining its forward most projection within a complementary central recess.
It should really be appreciated that a more positively engagement is desired than the frictional securement typically practiced in many present nurser bottles. This is desired both to prevent inadvertent removal of the cap when the bottle is not in use, which can result in both nipple contamination and undesirable leakage in the bottle. The bottle might typically be carried by the caring adult in a traveling bag which could include clothing or other articles. Likewise, when the bottle is being used by the infant or small child, it is desired that the cap remain in its storage location so as to be accessible, but not inadvertently fall out, or be capable of removal by the infant or small child.
Recognizing an early desire to have a more positive securement of the protective cap at its two locations, U.S. Pat. No. 1,429,585 shows the threaded engagement of the hood to the bottle in both its protective and storage conditions. U.S. Pat. No. 1,649,580 has a specially designed hood which includes a series of spring fingers at its lower end to resiliently engage annular beads at either end of the bottle. It should be noted, however, that in addition to the complexities and additional manufacturing costs occasioned by these suggested solutions to the instant and long recognized problem, when the protective hood is in its storage condition, the entire length projects downward beyond the lower extreme of the bottle, thereby undesirably creating a more cumbersome bottle assembly for feeding the infant or small child. Hence, while the prior art has recognized the desirability of providing for secure engagement and convenient storage of the protective hood used in conjuction with baby bottles, there has usually been a sacrifice of one or more of the desired end results.